Southern Peach
by pr3ttykittycat
Summary: Squid didn't believe in love at first sight... Did he? But he couldn't help it. She intrigued him. The West Texas Fair and Rodeo was the last place on earth he expected to fall in love, but what could he say? He'd always loved peaches.
1. Part One

"Aw, man!" Ricky exclaimed, craning his neck to see over the crowd. "They gotta Twister. I haven't been on one in years, man."

"Of course they gotta Twister," Rex said, clicking his tongue. "It's a fair. The only way they get away with selling their nasty ass food is by making people throw it up."

Squid snickered. José's crazy laugh drew the attention of all the rednecks in the area, which only made Squid laugh harder.

Recently released from Camp Green Lake, the boys were enjoying themselves at the West Texas Fair. Later on, a few of the other members of tent D would be joining them. But for now, it was just Squid, José, Ricky, and Rex.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ricky said with a grin. "Anything fried is good."

"Whatever, man." Rex shook his head in exasperation. "Save your cravings for after the Twister. You'll thank me later."

As they drew closer to the Twister, the music blasting over the ride became easier to hear. Squid wasn't sure he'd ever heard the song before – though to be fair, it didn't sound much different than any other country song.

Not many people were very interested in the Twister, and only three people stood between the boys and the gate. As they waited for the current ride to end, the boys perched on top of the wooden fence.

"Mighty fine dimes, there," Rex said, nudging Squid and nodding at the attendant's booth.

Squid leaned around Rex to take a peek and his eyebrows rose involuntarily.

Two girls stood shoulder to shoulder at the booth, brunette and a redhead (who didn't have a nametag, Squid noted). Under different circumstances, he may have found the redhead pretty. However, since he had left Camp, he found himself completely repulsed by red hair. The brunette, on the other hand, would have had him mesmerized any day of the week.

She was the breath of fresh air he had always waited for on the lake, the rain that splashed onto his face after months of sun. Her smile was the prettiest thing for miles, her laugh the best music Squid'd ever heard. For some reason, he thought he recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He now realized how much Camp Green Lake screwed him up (and probably his friends, too). It had been months since he had been able to even look at a girl his age. His desperation for female company was giving him crazy thoughts.

"Nowhere makes 'em quite as fine as Texas," Ricky said with a grin.

Over their heads, the music changed. Another song Squid didn't recognize.

"I love this song!"

The boys looked over at the attendant booth to see the two girls now swaying their heads to the music. When the words started, they both sang along, giggling.

" _Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches_."

"Peaches?" Ricky's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his friends for confirmation. "Did they just say peaches or am I going crazy?"

" _Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches_."

"No, man, they definitely said peaches," José said.

The girls were now dancing, their hips swaying and bumping. The brunette laughed and brought her hands up to tousle her ponytail. Even in a uniform polo, she impressively seductive, drawing in the attention of all four boys.

"You think she'd say yes if I asked her to get a corndog with me?" Ricky asked.

"Hell no," Rex said. "She don't want no crazy, conspiracy theory geek. Girl like that wants a real man." He popped the collar of his shirt and stared down the girls, but they didn't notice him.

" _Peaches come from a can, they were put there by a man_ …"

"Guess that rules you out, X," Squid said around his toothpick.

Ricky and José howled with laughter. Rex glared at them through thick lenses and flattened his collar again.

Squid glanced back at the girls. They had stopped and looked over when they heard the raucous that was Ricky and José's crazy laughter. His gaze met hers.

She smiled at him.

He smiled back.

She broke eye contact first, turning to the control board and putting an end to the ride.

"About damn time," Rex muttered, sliding down from the fence.

"Two tickets," the girl (Peach, read her name tag, funny enough) prompted when Squid reached the gate.

He lifted his hand and showed her his wristband, which signified unlimited tickets. She twisted it around to check it had the correct date.

"My, my… what do you plan on doing with all of those unlimited rides?"

Was she flirting? Squid had a hard time telling, especially with her rich Texas drawl. Even before Camp Green Lake, girls completely baffled him.

"Maybe I'll come back for another ride," he suggested cautiously, quiet enough for his friends to not hear.

She dropped her hand, letting her fingertips drag down his forearm. "That's a damn good idea," she whispered. "I'll be off around six."

* * *

After a meal and several more rides, Squid had realized the perfect escape route. It was an easy plan to execute. Faking an upset stomach wasn't difficult. Considering the food options, it wasn't unheard of.

He waved his friends away, humbly exclaiming that they shouldn't worry about him. When they were out of sight, he made a beeline for the Twister.

She had changed clothes since he had seen her last, and Squid almost didn't recognize her. Instead of the red polo and khakis, she wore a ratty, oversized t-shirt and denim cutoffs. Her hair was now down and spilled messily across her shoulders. Compared to Squid, she was tiny coming up just at his shoulders.

"Hey." She greeted him with a radiant smile.

"I had to fake sick to get away from my friends," Squid told her. "Bad onion rings."

"Very believable." She stuck out her hand suddenly. "I'm Peach."

"I'm Squid."

She cocked her head and stared up at him, as if she didn't believe him. "Nice to meet you, Squid. Wanna ride a Ferris Wheel?"

The pair started walking while they decided on what they wanted to do first. Peach had been stuck as an attendant since the fair opened at eleven, and was eager to do something other than stand at a gate.

"Hold on, Squid," she said when they neared a food booth. "I'm gonna get cotton candy. You want a coke or anything?"

"Naw," he said, shaking his head. "I'm fine." He knew it was supposed to be common curtesy for a man to pay for his date, but her wallet was already in her hand, and he had nothing to offer.

"Suit yourself."

Squid couldn't help but watch her as she walked to the booth. Her cutoffs were just long enough to cover her entire rear, but as she stretched her long legs so she could prop her arms on the counter, the smallest bit of curve peeked out at him.

He followed her to the counter while the man in the booth whisked away to get her cotton candy.

"You know your ass is hanging out a little?"

She laughed and shot him a mischievous look over her shoulder. Her eyes twinkled as she shook her butt just enough to force a little more bulge out.

Squid found himself laughing as she scrunched her face up and squirmed. "Yeah, goofy, you're gonna give yourself a wedgie," he said.

Peach retrieved her small cotton candy from the man at the booth and thanked him with an innocent smile.

The pair continued down the path, Squid's hand politely on the small of her back as they navigated through the crowd. She didn't seem to mind, her body drifting closer to his side as they wandered further.

"Want some?" she said after several minutes of silence, offering up the paper cone with a dwindling supply of pink fuzz.

Squid pinched off a small piece and caught it on his tongue. He realized that it had been years since he'd last had cotton candy; he had forgotten how much he liked it.

Peach giggled at the face he made and held up the cotton candy. "You can have more if you want."

As they finished off the last of the snack, Peach pointed ahead to the Ferris Wheel.

"Let's go on that," she said. "Nice and cliché and cute."

The line for this ride was only a few people longer than the Twister had been earlier, and it took no time for them to climb into one of the little carriages.

Squid tried to be a gentleman and leave a small gap between the two of them, but Peach scooted right up against him, pressing her knee into his thigh. Encouraged by this, he draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her upper body closer.

"Tell me about yourself Squid," Peach said, smiling up at him.

Squid hesitated, unsure of what to say. Should he tell her that he's a juvenile delinquent? That he beat up a police officer? Or that he grew up with an alcoholic mother?

Peach recognized his discomfort immediately and placed a hand on his thigh. "It's okay. I can talk first." She left her hand there and her thumb began rubbing back and forth across his jeans.

"Boring stuff first: I'm a college freshman, chemistry major, biology minor. I did stock show since I was a kid until I graduated, and I barrel race."

"That explains a lot," Squid said, pinching her thigh muscles with his free hand. "The racing did a lot good for your legs."

She stretched out her legs in front of her, her toes brushing against the front panel of the carriage. "They were better when I was in cross country."

"I think they look nice as hell. Anyway, continue."

"Not much else to tell. I like Patrick Swayze movies and science fiction novels. I'm boring."

"Naw, you ain't," Squid said. "I liked barrel racing when I was a kid. My neighbor had this cousin out in the country, and he'd take me out and they taught me how to ride horses and stuff."

"Do you still ride any?"

Squid shook his head. He felt his hand start to sweat a little and removed it from Peach's leg. The time for him to come clean about his time at Camp Green Lake drew closer by the second.

"I haven't in years," he said. "I wish I could, but too much has happened in the last few years."

"Like what?"

He could feel her eyes on his face, searching for an answer in his expression. She slipped her hand across his lap and laced her fingers between his. For a second, he considered pull his hand away. It was strange to him how comfortable she was with physical affection when she didn't even know him. But as he began to shift his grip, a weight fell into the pit of his stomach and he realized just how much he liked holding her hand.

"I feel like you wouldn't like me much if I told you," he said finally.

"So then kiss me before I decide I hate you," she said. Prying her fingers away, she slid her hand up his arm and came to a rest on his chest.

He couldn't stop himself. As scared as he was of telling her the truth, he really did want to kiss her. His hands in her hair, he leaned down and kissed her.

And then Camp Green Lake was gone, driven from his mind with the intimacy of the moment. Months of bitterness and exhaustion vanished as the barrel racer named Peach kissed him senseless on the Ferris Wheel. Nothing mattered more than the sweetness of cotton candy on her tongue, or the sunflower perfume that clung to her shirt, or her fingertips tickling down his abdomen…

But almost immediately, guilt settled in his chest. She didn't know him, or what he had done. He pulled away while he still had a clear head.

"Peach," he murmured, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones.

She followed his face, landing a sweet peck on his lips. "Hmm?"

"Peach, I'm a delinquent," he said in-between kisses. "I was committed to a juvenile detention facility."

That didn't stop her. She kept coming for more and after playfully biting Squid's bottom lip, she said, "When I was in high school, I slashed the tires on my principal's truck and put chickens in his office."

"What did he do?"

"He sexually assaulted my best friend. She told the police, and they didn't do anything."

"What did they do to you?"

"Nothin'. They never knew it was me. They tried to pin it on Kayla, but they had put her in ISS for 'lying'. No way she coulda done it." Peach shook her head, dark hair making a mess on her shoulders. "What did you do?"

"I assaulted a police officer," he told her. It seemed so dumb now. He rubbed the back of his neck as he flushed dark red. "My mom and me… we'd been fighting. I ran out, I was so pissed, and I was out with my friends past dark. The cop showed up, thinking we were drinking. He took my coke bottle and I just lost it."

Peach's face was unreadable for a moment. "Well, you could've done worse."

Squid gaped at her, completely bewildered. With the exception of group D at Camp, no one had ever taken his admission so casually.

Seeing his face, she shook her head. "I'm not gonna judge you for your past, Squid. We all do messed up shit. Especially when we've been hurt. I've done stuff. You've done stuff. And I still like you."

He kissed her again.

After the Ferris Wheel, they moved onto the next ride. Their bracelets inspected, they slid into the last row on the pirate ship, holding hands.

Peach tilted her head back on the headrest, enjoying the breeze that blew her hair back and forth. She smiled and told him that when she was a kid she would swing until she was as high as the pole. Once winter morning, she jumped from the swing, flew for three seconds, and promptly felt onto a patch of ice and broke her arm.

He kissed her again.

While Peach played (and won) at the ring toss, Squid spotted Hector. He made eye contact with the boy from across the fair ground. Hector gave him a questioning look. Squid pointed at Peach, and then put his finger to his lips. Hector understood, and nodded before drawing the other boys' attention to something in the opposite direction.

Peach turned to him with the most ridiculous thing on her head. She'd picked out a vibrant, orange squid hat as her prize. He laughed so hard that people started to stare, but he didn't care. They didn't get why it was funny, they could piss off.

Pushing the tentacles away from her face, he kissed her again.

They wound up on the Ferris Wheel again, Peach curled against Squid's side, her legs across his lap and cheek on his chest. He told her about Camp Green Lake and the holes. He told her about the friends he had made there, and how Hector and Stanley completely dismantled the establishment.

He told her about how much he hated it there, and how he would rather have been in jail. He told her that even though he had his friends from group D, he still felt alone and couldn't tell anyone. He told her he had cried himself to sleep on nights when he missed home.

She stroked his hair and kissed his cheek.

They got straight back into line for the Ferris Wheel.

She talked about stock show. When she was younger, her whole life revolved around it. But in high school, she found that she was good at balancing formulas and decided she wanted to blow things up for a living. Four long years of her parents arguing about her college major led her to move out right after she graduated. The money she had won from showing paid for her tuition and an apartment.

He kissed her again. And again. And again. And again.

He kissed her until he heard someone clear their throat.

Pulling away, he realized that the ride had stopped and they were at the bottom. The attendant looked embarrassed and annoyed. Past him, a group of boys catcalled and whistled from the line.

After he helped Peach off of the ride, he realized that he knew the boys in line. The Tent D boys got out of line and met the couple outside the gate.

"We've been looking for you, man," Rex said, a grin on his face. "Should've just told us you had a date. Why're you keeping secrets from us?"

"He probably thought we'd try to follow him," Ricky said.

"Would you have?" Squid asked, raising an eyebrow. He was relieved that, for the most part, his friends didn't seem angry with him.

"Definitely," Theodore said. The boys howled with laughter. Even Peach cracked a shy smile.

"So, what's your name, girl?" Rex asked.

Squid knew Rex well. He could tell when he was trying to be rude, and when he was sincere. This was one of those moments where X was trying to be polite, but could have been taken the wrong way. Peach didn't seem deterred, however.

"Peach," she replied with a smile, shaking the hand he extended towards her.

One by one, the boys introduced themselves. Ricky took to her quickly, going straight into a dialogue about secret cameras the government set up everywhere.

"Okay, Rick," Rex said finally. "That's enough. We should leave them to their date."

Ricky looked a little disappointed, but Peach patted his arm fondly.

"It's okay, Ricky," she said. "Maybe another time."

Squid didn't realize he was staring at their retreating figures until Peach slid her arms around his waist. He glanced down her. She was smiling up at him, but he couldn't tell why.

"Sorry," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "My friends are a little weird."

"I like them," she replied. "Maybe I should introduce my friend Lisa to Ricky. She really likes all that conspiracy theory stuff. They might get along well."

Squid held her face between his palms and kissed her slowly, the way one might kiss the love of their life.

"What was that about?" she asked when he pulled away.

"You keep on surprising me, Peach," Squid told her.

It was the truth. He couldn't understand how she could accept his past without a second thought. In the few months he had been searching for a job, everyone had been so quick to judge him… But Peach didn't even care.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. Better than good. It's amazing."

"You deserve it, Squid."

He kissed her again.

They went on the Ferris Wheel.

* * *

Hey there! Thanks for reading my new story. It's crazy to me how long this story ended up being! I was going for one chapter at about 4,000 words, but it ended up over 9,000, so I've split it into three separate chapters. Please review - I would really like to know what you think of Peach!


	2. Part Two

The moment Squid dreaded came at approximately 10:32. He wasn't entirely sure. It was hard to read Peach's watch upside-down.

"They're starting to shut down," Peach said. "I wasn't even planning on staying out this late. I should probably go home."

Squid felt his heart drop into his stomach. He wanted this night to last the rest of his life, but that just wasn't possible.

"You're right," he agreed.

As they walked towards the parking lot, Squid slowly started to realize that when she left, he would have to walk into the city alone. With his situation, he wasn't even sure he would be able to find Peach again.

His friends were probably all gone, taken home by parents that cared about their wellbeing. Squid was on his own.

Peach pulled keys from her pocket and pressed a button. Twenty feet away, a set of car lights lit up. Even in the darkness, Squid couldn't help but admire the sleek, white body.

Feeling his face burn with embarrassment, he glanced down at his own mode of transportation. Ratty old sneakers that he had owned before Camp Green Lake.

Peach leaned against the door of her car, looking up at him with that gorgeous smile of hers. "Thanks for walking me to my car, Squid," she whispered.

"No problem," he said, hoping they would kiss again.

"Where's your car at?" she asked. "I can drive you over to it so you don't have to walk alone."

"I don't have a car," he said before he could stop himself.

If Peach was surprised by this revelation, she didn't show it. "Is someone coming to pick you up? Do you want me to wait with you?"

Her questions were coming too quick for him to make up a lie. He opened his mouth to answer but closed it quickly before something stupid came out. She was trying to make eye-contact, but he turned his head to the side to avoid it, knowing he wouldn't be able to lie to her. How could he tell her he had no home to go to? How could he tell her that while his friends enjoyed home-cooked meals, he had spent the last of his money on the tickets for this fair?

He had been doing so well to keep it from everyone. He showed up to high school every day with clothes washed in a gas-station bathroom. The showers after gym class were enough to keep him clean until the next day.

There was an awkward pause between them, broken by a deep intake of breath. A look of understanding spread across her face. Squid prepared himself for the humiliation.

"My mom and me don't get along," he explained. "While I was gone, she got a boyfriend and she didn't want me to ruin anything. She just left a box of my stuff on the porch with a note. Now I'm on the streets."

Squid stared at her for moment, looking for an emotion. He was sure she would get that same face everyone got. The look of pity that he hated. Instead, her face split into a grin.

"Kiss me, Squid," she said.

"What?"

She surged forward faster than he could blink, her lips meeting his for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. But this time nothing was held back. Her hands were all over him, gripping his hair, tugging at his shirt, dragging fingernails over his biceps.

Squid couldn't resist her even if he wanted. Every move she made was precise and practiced, drawing out his most primal instincts from the most neglected areas of his body. He held her hips in place as she grinded against him, but he couldn't get her close enough. He turned suddenly, slamming Peach's back against her car.

The kiss broke with Peach rolling her head back to catch a breath. Her knee sprang up to wrap her leg around his hip. She continued to grind against him, slipping her hands under his shirt and scratching lightly all the way up his chest.

"Damn, Peach," Squid murmured, leaning over to kiss her neck.

She pushed him away for a moment, struggling with her keys. There was a click and then she was pulling Squid into the backseat of her car.

* * *

"I didn't actually think people were serious when they said the windows would fog up," Peach commented, running her finger along the back window and rubbing the moisture on the seat. "Probably doesn't help that it's kind of cold outside."

Snickering, Squid leaned over her, holding himself up with one hand on the door's armrest. His still-wet dick brushed against her abdomen, but she didn't seem to mind.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he wrote on the glass with his finger.

"You'll see in a second." Adding the final letters, he said, "Okay, now look."

Sitting up, Peach giggled at the message he had left. She curled up in the seat, watching drops of condensation drip from the words.

Peach 3's Squid

Squid sat next to her, ignoring the buckle pressing into his butt cheek. He curled an arm around her shoulder and lay his other hand on her thigh.

"Squid's not my real name," he said suddenly, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

"I kind of figured that much," Peach said, covering his hand with hers (or trying to, at least, as her hand was much smaller than Squid's).

"My real name is Alan."

"But you prefer Squid?"

He shrugged. He wasn't sure anymore. "Squid's my nickname from camp. We all had one. When the camp closed down, all of my friends got to go home to their families and start over with their old names…"

"But you didn't go home," Peach murmured. "So you stuck with Squid."

"Nobody cares about Alan," he stated bluntly. "My best friends renamed me Squid at Green Lake, and I'm a different person because of that place. I don't feel like an Alan anymore."

Peach raised an eyebrow at his wording. "So you feel like a squid now?"

Squid laughed, loud and bright, throwing his head back against the headrest. He pulled her onto his lap and held her close to him. She let her head fall onto his shoulder.

"My name isn't Peach," she said. "My name is Bailey. But I think I prefer Peach."

"What's wrong with Bailey?"

"My high school literally had twenty girls named Bailey."

Now that Squid thought about it, there were several girls that had class with him named Bailey. Those were only from the junior and senior classes, too. He wondered how many more there could be in the rest of the school.

"Fair. Why Peach?"

"Don't laugh, but – I said don't laugh!" She smacked his chest. "I haven't even told you yet, you can't just start laughing."

"Okay, I'm done. Not laughing, see?"

"Whatever. Anyway, when I was in middle school, I didn't like to shave, but I would wear shorts anyway. This boy I had a crush on asked me why I had hair on my legs, and I told him it was just peach fuzz. Of course, he decided to be an asshole and he went around to his friends calling me 'Peach Fuzz.' They called me that for three years. When I grew boobs my freshmen year, they stopped saying the 'fuzz' part, and then Peach just stuck."

Squid slid a hand along her leg. "I'll admit that's mean, but you've got a little stubble right now."

"I didn't hear you complaining ten minutes ago," Peach retorted. She turned in his lap, until she was straddling his hips. "Anyway, I have an offer for you."

"Let's hear it."

"No Bailey, no Alan, no Peach Fuzz," she said. "I've met Squid, and I like him. You don't ever have to be Alan with me. You can be Squid, the attractive criminal with a romantic side. I'll be Peach, your barrel-racing, science-loving girlfriend that completely adores you."

For once, Squid felt happy. Warmth spread through his chest and stomach, and his face lit up with a smile.

"I think you've got yourself a deal," he said, and then he kissed her.

Peach pulled away after a few seconds and leaned over to the window. She breathed across Squid's note, putting another layer of condensation over the writing.

"Put some pants on," she said, rolling into the next seat and bending down to find her clothes. "The parking lot is pretty empty and we look a little suspicious."

Squid took a little longer to put his clothes back on, having to deal with longer pants and more buttons. When he climbed into the front passenger's seat, Peach was fiddling with the radio.

"Where have you been staying?" she asked as she sped out of the parking lot.

"Next to a dumpster behind a gas station." He didn't feel as embarrassed about his situation, but he still wasn't excited for Peach to see his "home." He told her which one and where, and she shot him a strange look.

"Is that close to your school?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Is that where you went before you were arrested?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," Peach hummed. Her face was almost disbelieving, but Squid wasn't sure it was directed at him. "And you were only at Camp Green Lake for like six months?"

"Yes. Why?" He didn't really understand what she was getting at.

"We apparently went to the same high school," she explained. "It's just really weird to me that we didn't know each other before…"

Squid's jaw dropped as a sudden wall of old school memories collided with his brain. "Wait a minute, I remember you!"

Peach glanced over at him with a suspicious look that he wasn't sure why he was receiving. "Do you?"

"Yes! You went through that weird thing in middle school where you only wore black."

Peach sniffed, apparently offended. "We were goth, Squid."

"You and your friends would sit on the wall at lunch and draw on each other's faces with black makeup."

"Please stop talking."

"Your hair was black then."

Squid laughed at the noise of distress that she made. "It's fine, I'm not gonna make fun of you."

The car slowed to a stop. Squid's grin disappeared. He hadn't realized how close they had been getting to the gas station. Now their date was over for good.

"So, I don't really know when I'm going to see you again," Squid said.

Peach raised an eyebrow. "You're going to see me tomorrow, and then on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and so on. What – did you think I was gonna just let you live behind a dumpster?"

"Where am I supposed to go?" Squid asked.

"With me, dummy," Peach said with a grin. "Come on, get your stuff and we'll go to my place."

"I can't just—"

"You can, and you will. I'm not just going to leave you out on the streets."

Squid opened his mouth to argue, but didn't know what to say. He didn't want to be a burden on her, but what else could he do? He needed a home, and she was offering one. If he continued to live on the streets, he wasn't sure when he would see her again. Living with her would solve that problem – he would get to see her every single day.

"Please come live with me, Squid," she whispered, reaching over to take his hand. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you out here."

"Okay, I'll go get my stuff," Squid said.

His stuff was light where he left it. He quickly rummaged through his backpack to make sure everything was still inside of it (there wasn't much more than a toothbrush, a few extra sets of clothes, and his school work). Nothing was missing.

"That all of your stuff?" Peach asked when he got back into the car. "You don't have anything else?"

"This is all of the stuff my mom left out for me when I got back from Camp," Squid explained. It had originally been in a box, but he had moved it into the backpack he brought back with him, so it could have been worse.

Peach sat for a minute, staring at her side mirror. He could almost see the gears turning furiously behind her eyes.

"Okay, so here's what we're going to do," she said finally. "I'm gonna find a payphone and call my roommates and have them come meet us out here. Then you're gonna tell us where your house is and we're gonna go get your stuff."

"My mom's not gonna let us in," Squid protested. This was probably the most ridiculous plan he'd ever heard.

"She doesn't have to," Peach said as she put the car into gear.

Squid stared at her, uncomprehending, until he realized what she meant. "Peach. I can't break into my mom's house."

"Yeah, I know, which is why I'm calling Kayla and Tori." She drove to the front of the gas station, where there was a payphone by the newspaper stand. "When it comes to breaking into someone's house, they're our best bet. Tori is very good at picking locks, and all three of us have done this sort of stuff before."

"Seriously?"

"No one in this world is innocent, Squid. Some of us just manage to not get caught."

* * *

Hello again! Thank you so much for sticking with this story so far! I would just like to say what is probably on everyone's mind.

Yes, Peach and Squid's relationship is completely impractical! They talk a little bit about Peach's thought process in the next chapter, but yeah. It's probably in your best interest to not take home homeless juvenile delinquents from the fair!

Also, because the Holes book was published in 1998, this story takes place in that time frame, so I just went ahead and ditched cell phones. ;p


	3. Part Three

Kayla and Tori met Squid and Peach at the high school parking lot. The girls pulled up twenty minutes after Peach's call, and the redheaded girl from earlier that day hopped out of the truck with a Walmart sack.

"So you're Squid?" she asked, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kayla. This is Tori." Tori was even shorter than Peach, and Hispanic.

"We should probably go in your car," Tori told Peach. "It's a lot quieter than the truck."

"Oh my god," Kayla said as she and Tori climbed into the back. "It stinks in here. Did y'all, like, have sex in here or something?"

Squid grimaced and Peach didn't say anything. That answered Kayla's question.

"Oh my god, y'all're nasty," Kayla squealed. "That's so gross. We should have taken my car."

"Oh, shut up," Peach said. "Squid, where's your mom's house?"

Squid's heart pounded as they pulled into the familiar neighborhood. He could remember running through the streets away from his mom after every fight. Even in the darkness, it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Peach pulled into the driveway of a for-sale house a block from their destination. In the back, Kayla stuffed unfolded garbage bags into her hoodie pockets and Tori used her teeth to remove the plastic coating on the end of her bobby pins.

"Stay here, okay, Squid?" Peach said as they got out of the car. "If we're not back in forty minutes, take my car and get out of here." She leaned over to peck him on the lips and then they were gone.

The lamps along the street hadn't worked in years, but he could still see them hurrying along the sidewalk in the moonlight.

"He's totally adorable," Kayla whispered. "I totally remember him from high school. He was always so nice, I thought they were crazy when they arrested him."

"How did you know him and I didn't?" Peach muttered under her breath. She motioned for her companions to crouch as they moved across the lawn.

Before her friends had arrived, Squid had drawn out a layout of his house on notebook paper. He didn't know where the spare key was anymore, and they would probably have to pick the lock. In the car, she explained to Kayla and Tori that getting in through Squids window, or the backdoor would be easiest. His mom's room was closer to the front of the house, while Squid's was in the back, making their entry and exit almost unnoticeable (if they were smart about it).

She shined a flashlight through Squid's bedroom window. Digging her fingers under the wood, she tried to push the window up, but it didn't budge.

"Tori, you're going to have to pick the lock," she whispered. Tori kneeled in front of the backdoor while Peach and Kayla watched through the laundry room window for security. It took about five minutes for Tori to get the lock.

Squid's room was messy, but Peach hadn't expected anything less. Crinkled and ripped posters covered the navy blue walls. The floor was littered with shoes and old school assignments.

Peach crept over to the tall dresser and eased open a drawer. "Get all his clothes and shoes into bags first and then we can go from there," she whispered over her shoulder.

They set to work, Kayla taking items from the closet, Tori from the dresser, and Peach picking up items off the ground (they were probably disgusting at this point, but she tried not to think about it). Peach noticed a lot of plaid going into the bag, which made her smile. If there was any kind of style she could tolerate, it was plaid button-ups.

For a moment, she wondered what it would have been like if she and Squid had noticed each other in high school. She could imagine herself laying with him on top of messy bedsheets. Kissing beneath blankets. Helping with homework while sitting on the floor. Digging through his closet to steal a shirt. Maybe he wouldn't have gone to Camp Green Lake.

Peach ended that thought immediately. If he hadn't gone to Camp Green Lake, he would be a completely different person. Without Camp, Squid would be Alan. She didn't even know if she liked Alan. But she really loved Squid.

Before she could realize what she just thought, Tori let out a hiss and made wild motions for the other two to stop.

They froze.

Footsteps were coming down the hall, towards Squid's room.

Adrenaline pumped through Peach's throat. She caught Kayla's eye and could tell their expressions were mirror images. Terrified, excited, and ready for a fight.

Somewhere nearby, a door closed. Through the wall, they could hear a trickling noise.

They didn't move.

A toilet flushed, a door opened, and footsteps retreated back down the hall.

Peach sighed when noise was completely gone and motioned for Kayla and Tori to continue.

All of Squid clothes fit into two garbage bags. Peach circled the room, adding in various things. They couldn't take everything, but she wanted to be sure to get everything of importance. A small stack of CDs, a few books, framed photos. She pocketed a small ceramic statue, not wanting it to break in the bag.

Beneath his bed, she found a wooden box. There was a lock on the front, and Squid hadn't said anything about a password. Unsure of its value, she asked Tori to carry the box.

"I think that's good," Peach whispered. If there was anything else he needed, she was sure they would be able to break in again.

Now toting garbage bags, they snuck out of the house. Peach couldn't believe how easy her plan had gone through, but she sure as hell wasn't about to complain. At the end of the block, they broke into a run. Squid had been watching for them, and opened the trunk.

"I totally thought we were caught," Kayla said at her regular volume. "God that was freaking terrifying."

Laughing, Peach pealed out of the neighborhood as fast as she could without squealing tires. "God, I haven't done anything like that since high school," she said. She reached across the console and slid her hand into Squid's.

"Maybe I'm the only one thinking this," Tori said. "But I'd really love it if you kept me out of your crazy schemes from now on."

"She's the one that got me into Wright's office," Peach told Squid. "My best friends are great as hell."

"Uh-huh, we better be after all of this nonsense," Tori snorted. "We didn't even question you about your choice in juvenile delinquent."

Peach caught her friends eye in the rearview mirror. "I could tell how big his dick was through his pants when he first walked over to me," she deadpanned.

Kayla cackled. "He's younger than you, you gross ass pedophile!"

"I'm older than him by one year!" Peach glanced over to see Squid looking down at the front of his pants and burst out laughing. "Squid, I was kidding."

In the mirror, Tori mouthed, _Is he big?_

Peach nodded subtly in response.

Pulling back into the high school parking lot, she jokingly griped at Kayla and Tori to get out, but then groaned loudly as Kayla and Tori drove away in their own vehicle. "I am freaking starving," she said, laying against her steering wheel. "Let's get food. I need food."

Within minutes, she was pulling into a twenty-four hour McDonalds. She ordered herself McNuggets and a Dr. Pepper, then turned to Squid. "What do you want?"

He shrugged and mumbled something about not having any money. Peach rolled her eyes and turned back to the window.

"Yeah, can I get another twenty-piece meal?" she asked. "And then can I get two double quarter pounders? Yes, with cheese. Just the sandwiches, please. And two vanilla shakes. That'll be all. Okay, thank you, ma'am."

"Peach, I can't just—"

"Squid, either you eat it or it goes in the trash," Peach told him. "Trust me when I say McNuggets really don't make good leftovers."

The woman at the window smiled at the couple as she handed them the food.

"Thank you so much," Peach said with a smile. She sat the bag down on Squid's lap.

He couldn't tell if she had done it on purpose. The smell that wafted from the top of the bag made his stomach growl and mouth water. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her smirk.

* * *

The girls' apartment seemed bigger than his mom's house, but, then again, maybe that was from the lack of clutter. There were small messes here and there, like the mail on top of the coffee table and the piles of movies by the TV. For the most part, though, everything seemed to have a place. Hooks for keys. Jars for spare change. Basket for blankets. They even had a message board hanging on the back of the front door.

Kayla and Tori had waited for them, and were sprawled across the couch reading Cosmo.

"Look at all of these sex tips that we can't use," Tori was saying as she thumbed through the pages. She peeked over the top of her magazine at Squid and Peach. "About time you got back. Thought your crazy driving finally killed you."

"Whatever, you're a way worse driver than me." Peach turned to Squid. "You can go ahead and take that to my room. It's just down that hallway, last door on the left."

"I can take the box, too," Squid offered. The bags weren't heavy to him, and he could definitely take on more. Tucking his box under his arm, he headed into the direction she had pointed.

Her door had a small, hand drawn picture of a peach. It hadn't been latched shut, so he just nudged it open with his foot. The bedroom had a slightly different theme than the rest of the apartment. Not a sock outside of the hamper, not a page left out of her class folders. But there were hints of deliberate dishevelment. The throw blanket messily tossed onto the corner of the bed. Her shoes didn't face the same direction on the rack. A small stack of magazines was strewn across the top of her dresser. This room definitely belonged to the girl with an even tan, a perfect manicure, a ripped t-shirt, and wild hair.

When he returned to the living area, Kayla and Tori passed him, giggling and winking at him. Peach was waiting at the dining table, food set on pink placemats.

"Ready for part two of our date?" she asked, smiling up at him.

God, he loved her smile. He had never seen anything so perfect before. All he wanted to do was stare at her all night long. But then his stomach growled and he remembered how hungry he was.

"So," Peach said, chewing on a French fry. "Tomorrow's our designated laundry day, and we can take your stuff down and wash all that too. We noticed some of your stuff was smelling kind of musty."

"What all did you take?" Squid asked. He hadn't bothered looking in the bags yet.

"We pretty much emptied out your dresser and closet," she told him. "Every bit of clothing we could find we took."

"I don't know what'll fit me," Squid admitted. "I grew a lot at Green Lake." Even the shirt he was wearing now was tighter than he had remembered it.

Peach's gaze trailed down his chest. "I can call my brothers," she said slowly. "They're about your size, if not bigger. They might have some old stuff they can give you."

The guilt had started to settle back in from the moment Squid set foot in the front door. He could shake the feeling that Peach was doing too much for him, too soon.

"You've got that look on your face again," she said. When Squid only raised his eyebrows, she continued. "Like you feel bad or something, or confused. Does all this make you feel like a charity project?"

"A little bit," Squid admitted. He hadn't realized it before, but she hit it right on the nail. She reminded him of elementary school, when his class had gone around town and passed out food and money to homeless people.

"Well, you're not," Peach said, tracing a pattern on the table with condensation from her drink. "My momma always told me to follow my gut instincts. It's never been wrong. Not when I picked out my horse for racing. Not when I decided I wanted to be a chemist. Not when it told me that Principal Wright was an asshole. When I saw you today… I don't know…"

She gave him a sheepish grin. He didn't miss the light flush of pink on her face that blended down into her neck.

"I've never really believed in love at first sight, Squid," she continued. "But I think today could be enough to change my mind. When I saw you today, I had this feeling in my gut, and there was this voice in my head telling me that I needed to go on a date with you. So then we went on our date, and it was amazing. You're amazing, Squid. And everything that happened tonight – _every single thing_ – was based on pure instinct."

Squid extended his hand across the table, his palm facing up. Her fingers shaking (adrenaline, he guessed), she slid her hand into his. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles.

"I really like you, Peach," he said. "And I really appreciate everything you're doing for me. It's the nicest thing anyone's done for me in a while. I've been looking for a job these last few months, and of course not a lot of people are willing to hire me. But when I find one, I'm gonna return the favor. Not because I owe you or something, but because you deserve someone to be kind to you, too."

Peach smiled, squeezing his hand. "So you're gonna stay here?"

"I'll stay here as long as you want me to."

They fell into a comfortable silence as they finished eating. Every few minutes, Squid would look up to see her staring at him, a giddy look on her face.

He couldn't even believe his luck. Somehow, by attending a fair with his best friends, he managed to get an awesome girlfriend and a place to sleep. Surely this was a crazy dream and he would wake up the next morning behind the dumpster. Still, every time he pinched himself, it hurt and he grinned.

Squid was surprised to see Peach eat everything, including every drop of her shake and soda. He half expected her smaller body to move slower, but popped up from her chair and bustled around the table collecting trash at a quick pace. Even when he glanced at her stomach from the side, it looked the same as it had earlier. He was definitely dreaming, wasn't he?

She returned, sitting down on Squid's lap.

"I'm gonna take a shower," she said, pecking him on the lips. "You're welcome to come with if you want."

"Are you sure you're okay with me seeing everything?" Squid asked.

Snickering, Peach nodded. "We've already had sex so I don't think it matters at this point."

"Good point," Squid said. "I guess I'll come then."

"You can go ahead and start, I just need to go to my bedroom and I'll be in there really quick."

Squid fumbled with the knobs in the shower a good minute and a half, accidentally turning on the bath faucet, before a stream of cold water hit him across his backside. Even the showers at his high school only had one temperature, so the cold didn't bother him, but he still turned the knob into the red section.

Warm water felt good on his skin, penetrating deep into his tired muscles. He watched the water rush over his feet. Even after two months, he still expected to see the darkness of his skin to wash away, caked with sweat and blood.

Over the spray of water, he heard the bathroom door open and shut.

"I grabbed you a washcloth from the closet," Peach said. "It's kind of old, but me and the girls usually use sponges, so it's all we got."

"I gotta question," Squid told her. He was inspecting the basket suctioned to the wall with her name on it. "Do you actually use everything you put in here?"

It was ridiculous! She had three different sets of shampoo and conditioner, two bottles of shower gel and a bar soap, two razors, and a plethora of face products. Kayla and Tori's baskets didn't look much different, either. Squid was positive that the basket was too heavy to stick to the wall. Why did girls have to make showering so difficult?

"Not all in one shower," Peach said. "But, yes, I do."

"That's ridiculous," Squid said, searching through the different bottles. "It's all the same crap."

He heard her sniff. "Don't come at me with your dry hair and split ends telling me my hair care routine is ridiculous."

"Baby, I don't understand anything you just said to me," he said.

" _Boys_ ," he heard her whisper under her breath. The shower curtain moved and he glanced over his shoulder as Peach stepped into the tub.

As much as he'd enjoyed their time in car, he wished he could have seen her in better lighting. What had been left of her makeup had been wiped off, revealing freckles that adorned her to the tops of her shoulders. While Squid thought her makeup looked nice, her natural good looks made his heart pound furiously.

She was staring right back at him, her eyes fixed on his right shoulder. Her mouth formed a small, surprised 'o' shape.

"Is this why they call you Squid?" she asked, stroking her fingertips along the outline of his squid tattoo.

"Yeah."

"Why did you get a squid?"

"I used to really want to be a marine biologist," Squid said. "I wanted to study squids. I dunno, I just thought they were really cool. My friend's cousin had a tattoo gun and one day we were all hanging out and he offers to give me a tattoo. So I gotta squid."

"I like it."

Squid faced her, sliding his wet hands through her dry hair. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her neck.

"And I like you," he murmured into her skin. He pulled her closer, until she was under the water. Setting his chin on her shoulder, he held her as close as he possibly could.

"Not that I don't love how sweet you are," she said. "My ass is totally freezing right now. Move so I can get in the water."

"Speaking of your ass," Squid said, peeking over her shoulder to get a better glimpse. "Why do you have a tribute to Kissin' Kate Barlow tattooed on you?"

Peach pulled away from him, her face scrunched in confusion. "Who the hell is Kissin' Kate Barlow?"

Squid stepped aside to let her get under the showerhead. She dug through her basket and handed him a bottle of soap and a washcloth. "Here use that."

"You know, the bandit chick that would kiss all the men she killed in the old days."

"K.B. stands for Kayla and Bailey," Peach said, stifling laughter behind her hand.

"Well, your ass looks the same as the engraving on this lipstick tube that Stanley said belonged to Kissin' Kate," Squid said, sniffing the shower gel suspiciously. "Hey, this says it ain't peach scented. Isn't that like a crime for you?"

Peach snickered as she rubbed something white onto her face. "Bet you think you're real fucking funny, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm hilarious, baby," he said, casually pinching her butt as she rubbed blue-colored shampoo into her hair. She squealed and smacked him with a soapy hand.

* * *

"I feel like a girl," Squid commented, his hands feeling along his now-smooth abdomen. Maybe girls knew what they were doing after all.

"Calm down, _Squidney_ , you didn't even put lotion on," Peach said as she rummaged through her dresser. Now and then, she would pull something out, compare it to Squid, and put it back.

He frowned at her nickname. "Why do you have so many boxers?" he asked. "Do you just steal them from your ex-boyfriends?"

"No, I buy them, you lunatic," she replied. "They're roomier than panties, so I prefer them." She shoved a pair into his hands, and stalked to her closet to find a shirt. "Those are really big on me, so they should probably fit."

"What in the hell do you need more room for?" Squid demanded as he slipped them on. "Your junk is literally inside you." A t-shirt hit him square in the face. He grinned at the gorgeous girl standing in her closet doorway.

"I don't owe you an explanation," she said with a snort. She moved to walk past him, but he caught her by the waist.

"Well, now I'm just curious," he whispered.

"I need the extra room for my hand when I masturbate," she deadpanned. She smirked at the look of disbelief on Squid's face. Her eyes went wide as she took on an innocent expression. "A girl gets awfully lonely, having a nice big bed all to herself."

Squid recovered from his shock quickly and scooped Peach up into his arms, her legs around his waist and his hands holding her rear. She giggled and kissed at his neck.

"Well, baby, you can throw away your boxers, 'cause you ain't going to bed lonely from now on," Squid told her, heading straight for her bed.

* * *

They laid in silence for a long time, Peach's head at his shoulder, her breath tickling his neck. He had an arm curled around her bare back, his thumb stroking along her upper arm.

Peach had turned on a set of strings lights that hung around her mirror, casting a yellowish glow around the room. Squid liked looking at her room. The majority of her décor was framed photos, and he saw a lot with Kayla and Tori. On her dresser, there was large frame with Peach and two tall boys. Her brothers, he guessed.

He turned his head a bit, looking at the contents of her night stand. An alarm clock, a book, a box of tissues, and a small statue.

"Shit, Peach," he said, sitting up. She blinked up at him with tired eyes, clearly confused by the sudden movement. He reached over her and picked up the little ceramic squid. "I didn't think I'd ever see this again."

"It was right by your bed," she mumbled. "I thought it might be important."

"It is," he said, rubbing his thumb along a tentacle. "We were on a school trip at an aquarium back in elementary, and my teacher saw me looking at it and bought it for me."

"Is that when you decided you wanted to be a marine biologist?" Peach asked.

"More or less. I didn't know the actually term 'marine biologist'. But, yeah, I knew that it was what I wanted to do."

"Is that something you would still want to do?"

"I wasn't so sure for a while," Squid admitted. "At Green Lake, nothing seemed possible. It never rained there for a hundred years, and it looked like it wouldn't for another hundred. And then one day it did." He replaced the squid on the nightstand and laid back. Peach curled against him.

"I have faith in you, Squid," she whispered. "I'll support you, no matter what you decide to do."

"Thanks," he whispered back. There was silence.

"Hey, Peach?"

"Yeah?"

"What's your gut instinct telling you right now? About me?"

She thought for a moment. "That loving you will be the best thing I'll ever do."

Squid grinned and pulled her close.

And then he kissed her.

* * *

Hello again! I just want to say thank you soo much for reading this fanfiction! I really loved writing it and everything and I am so glad that it turned out so great! I think at a later time, I'm going to post a fourth chapter, but it'll probably just be a small collection of little moments talking about their relationship later on.

I'm also thinking that I might start a full-length Holes fanfiction, but I'm really not sure what it would be about yet. All I know is that I love writing about Holes because it's in Texas, and I'm from Texas, and I love slipping in little things about Texas culture into these characters.

Anyway, thank you again for reading, and if you could review that would be awesome!


End file.
